Set back by the C.I.A. secret war, Laos has been recovering and is asking to be discovered by you. A real ethnic patchwork, the country is mostly mountainous and irrigated by many rivers fit for traveling. Meet its welcoming tribes, learn the local handicrafts, taste the underrated local gastronomy, motorbike through its stunning and off-the-beaten path landscapes, float down rivers, and fly above tree tops in one of world’s best ecotourism project!
With its karst formations rising off the rice fields, Vang Vieng is set in a beautiful natural setting and has become the number one outdoor destination of Laos with hiking, mountain biking, kayaking, rock climbing and caving opportunities.
Next to travelling by river to explore the lesser trodden backdrops of the more remote regions of Laos, venturing out on a motorbike is an excellent way to discover the rural countryside. Besides the scenic multi-day motorbike loop through surreal landscapes leading to the Kong Lor cave in Central Laos, the cooler Bolaven Plateau in the south of the country can be explored similarly. Hop on!
Here is a compilation of the photos of the day of Laos and some others of our best shots capturing the essence of Laos to inspire you (to receive our photos of the day and articles, follow us!). All of these photos are available in a high definition upon request. For the story behind a specific photo, look for the corresponding photo of the day, or browse through our articles. Keep travelling/
In Laos, weaving is a traditional handicraft practiced by many women. Before being able to start weaving, a whole process is required to turn cotton into thread and yarn.
If today, most women buy the cotton threads, it is still common to Keep travelling
A roughly 20-kilometre long bumpy dirt road leads towards surprisingly well maintained trees on the steep slopes of Laos’ most remote mountains bordering China. Wooden houses are lined up along the road, leafs are drying in the sun, people are working on their doorstep, chickens roam around and some lazy dogs nap in the sun. Keep reading
Many rivers flow through Laos, making them one of the main ways of transportation in the country. Beyond just going from point A to point B, travelling by river is also a way of adjusting to the Laotian pace and discovering life in settlements along the banks. If it is very popular among travellers to take a slow boat along the majestic Mekong River to or from Luang Prabang, other rivers offer a more peaceful and authentic way of travelling (and far less crowded!).
He comes back from his 40-minute run in 33 degrees Celcius. He is given a rope and starts rope skipping for a full 10 minutes in a row, focussed and with a straight face. The veins on his temples start showing and when he is done he gets rid of the jacket that must feel extremely suffocating. Pearls of sweat start dripping from his muscled body which he shyly reveals in the burning sun. Without hesitation he starts doing his push-ups. Keep traveling!
It is 4:30 am in the dark streets of Luang Prabang, and I feel the chill air on my cheeks. I am still wondering if all this was a good idea, as we are walking the empty alleys of the former capital of Laos before sunrise. Somehow, I still want to form my own opinion about the morning alms ritual that is so famous in Luang Prabang and try to answer the question that has been bugging me for a while: how can an ancient religious tradition of meditative nature become a controversial tourist attraction? Keep reading
A young woman with a peculiar headdress enters the smoky dark room. She brings in a big tray covered with breakfast dishes: fried morning glory, fried noodles, a bamboo woven basket filled with steamy sticky rice, some chicken, and the homebrewed whiskey! A fire burns next to me in a small clay pot on the dirt floor, and despite the smoke that stings my eyes, I stay close to the welcomed heat source. Reluctantly, I move my little stool closer to the very low table on which the tray is set, joining our guide Sivangxai, the Ban Peryenxangkao village chief and his nephews. Here, in the ethnically diverse Northern Laos, Akha tribes live according to their ancient traditions far from modern civilisation. Keep reading
The engine of our wooden canoe with long tail echoes in the large room while a cool wind makes me shiver. In total darkness, I vaguely distinguish rocks shaped as faces or animals briefly lit up by the beam of the headlamp of our captain. He is constantly scanning the limestone walls, as the slightest miscalculation on these shallow waters would be fatal to our boat. With great skills, our boatman manoeuvres up the winding subterranean Hinboun River which flows through the geological wonder of South-East Asia, the Kong Lor cave in Laos. Keep traveling!
With Thailand ranking high up in the list of world’s best cuisines, neighbouring Laos remains in its shadow. Because of the thaification that has been going on since 1933, you may find out in this article that your favourite Thai dish may very well be a Laotian one! And more importantly, that Lao food deserves more credits… Keep savoring!
Vientiane is the capital, largest city, and economic centre of Laos. Even though it was made capital in 1563 to protect the people from a potential Burmese invasion, today, Keep traveling!
The water has been boiling for a while now and a woody scent enters my nose. I pour the hot water full of shavings through a piece of cloth to filter the pulp out. I bring the water to the boil again before adding the main ingredients. No, I am not preparing a meal, I am making yellow! Keep traveling!
The Hmong are an important ethnicity in Laos, specifically in Luang Prabang. Originally coming from the plains of Tibet and Mongolia, they introduced their specific dyeing technic in Laos: the Hmong batik. Keep traveling!
“Under three, over three, under three, over five, under three, over three and under three again”, Oun explains calmly. “And now the same on the other side again.” I look at the maze in front of me while I am counting the colourful flexible bamboo pieces in desperate search of a pattern that seems so obvious to him! We are Keep traveling!
I am running down a gentle slope before I am flying through a tunnel of green leafs and vines opening on the canopy. I am now gliding over treetops with a bird’s eye view on the rainforest that covers the surrounding mountains. Right in front of me appears my everlasting childhood dream: Keep traveling!
“Of course, I found many bombies as a kid!” Ae’s reply sounds so obvious. “Many of my cousins still have metal in their bodies. They can’t really take it out. It’s too dangerous.” Ae is 28. He grew up in the plain of Jars, one of the areas of Laos that was heavily bombed during the secret war: more than half a million Keep reading
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